Brazil’s Lula calls on Maduro to respect result of Venezuelan election

Brazilian leader says he was frightened' by counterpart's warnings of bloodbath' if he loses to Edmundo Gonzalez

Brazil's president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has urged Venezuela's government to respect the result of next Sunday's election, saying he had been frightened" by Nicolas Maduro's warnings of a bloodbath" if he loses the vote.

After 11 years in power, Venezuela's authoritarian leader is currently trailing in opinion polls to the opposition candidate, the retired diplomat Edmundo Gonzalez, and in recent weeks, Maduro and his allies have stepped up their predictions of post-election violence following what they say will be a victory for the ruling party.